If you would like to register, please email 2 preferred usernames to oceanfisher@gmail.com. You will be registered and sent instructions.
To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Although i have never been on a flight for that long, being from Oz i have researched it a bit in case i ever decided to go traveling. Things i thought i would do in theory is:

1) Pick a suitable flight time - I have a morning BP routine and i haven't crapped myself for years but know if i did it then it would happen not long after my routine so i would pick a midday or afternoon flight to reduce my nervous thoughts

2) Do a stop over if possible - Pick a place in the middle to stop over and stay the night or two to break up the long flight time

3) Eat a good diet beforehand - Make sure the week leading up i'm eating right, drinking enough and exercising correctly (not over the top, but just making sure i stick to my normal routine)

4) Wear compression stocking - A must for 7hr+ flights, but i don't wear them often and sometime some brands can cut in to my skin a bit. So i would check my skin during the flight or do a pre-test by wearing them for 14hrs a couple weeks before and make sure i have no issues (would gradually build up to the 14hrs by starting at 4hrs and increasing hrs)

5) Bring a draining bag - The last thing i would want is an uti while travelling so i wouldn't want to cut my fluids down from what i normally drink. In 13hrs i would bypass 2-3L so i would put a 4L drainage bag in a backpack near my feet on the plane and connect it up to my leg bag just after take off and disconnect it before you land. I would also have blanket on my lap for the flight so i can do it discretely so passengers near by will just think i'm just a weirdo playing with myself under the blanket

6) Sit on a pressure cushion - Can't be too thin where i get pressure marks but not too thick where i'm up too high and find it too hard to balance and makes the armrests too low to stabilize me.

7) Change my sitting position often - I would change between sitting up straight, to putting a pillow against the back of the chair in front on me and leaning forward so my forehead is against it, to putting the armrest up slightly so i can lean sideways a bit (towards the window and not towards the aisle in case i over balance).

Also leg positions is important, having my feet flat on the ground, outstretched or tucked back will put different pressure on my ass, so when i fly short distances i have my feet flat on the ground but get nerve pain in my tailbone after awhile so stretch them out so it pulls pressure away from that area and I just keep alternating.

Final notes, if i was upgraded or choose to upgrade for more seating room i would make sure the aisle armrest comes up (some chair classes have solid sides), as i need to move it away for transferring as i can only slide across and can't lift. Two, i would think about what i would do with landing as i normally push against the seat in front of me to hold me back so i don't don't headbutt it when we hit the ground which is why i never sit at the front row.

Hi, guys I am from Omaha Ne . I flew to Jakarta Indonesia , about 22 hours one way with one good rest in Tokyo 6 hours . What I did took my 4 inch roho . Removed seat cushion from airplane seat , it just tilts up , velco on . Take it off , use your roho . Works great . Also rest of chair fits your back normal . I did this on what seven different flights , nobody had a issue with it .

Since my injury I haven't flown super long flights, from east coast of US to Hawaii and to Europe, a few times. I just used my chair cushion on the airline seat. Proper immersion with a Roho is the same regardless of it's profile, so I recommend using the height you need, clinically speaking, rather than getting something different (or thin) just for plane use. I used a condom cath and leg bag to avoid the hassle of in flight pee breaks. Did regular lifts and leans for pressure relief, just like sitting in my wheelchair. Sitting is basically sitting, IMO, on a plane, or in a wheelchair.

"Live your life in such a way that the fear of death can never enter your heart." -Tecumseh.

A Buddhist monk walked up to the guy working behind a hot dog cart and said, "Make me one with everything."

"Even what those with the greatest reputation for knowing it all claim to understand and defend are but opinions..." -Heraclitus

I'm about to take a long flight from Melbourne Australia to San Francisco. My problem is that I have a colostomy now, Previously I have been able to manage my bowel regime by good timing but that is no longer possible because my stoma works anytime, and sometimes often.
Does anyone have experience of this situation? I will not be able to change my bag whilst sitting in my aircraft seat.
I'm becoming very concerned about this and would really appreciate some feedback.
Thanks

I'm about to take a long flight from Melbourne Australia to San Francisco. My problem is that I have a colostomy now, Previously I have been able to manage my bowel regime by good timing but that is no longer possible because my stoma works anytime, and sometimes often.
Does anyone have experience of this situation? I will not be able to change my bag whilst sitting in my aircraft seat.
I'm becoming very concerned about this and would really appreciate some feedback.
Thanks

I don't have experience with an ostomy, but I'd assume a low residue diet a few days before you flight would be necessary to reduce stool production.

I'm surprised that so many folks here use a Roho during flight. I normally use a Roho (high profile) at home, but it get's too full due to the reduced cabin pressure during flight (set to 8000 ft above sea level, I believe). And then it's flat if I travel to a lower elevation (e.g. Denver to Florida), but that is only at final descent (it's a bigger problem when driving between elevations).

I made a memory foam cushion for domestic flights which works great. But on my Cambodia trip (planned but missed my flight, due to late Access-A-Ride), my plan was to switch to a Roho after we got up to altitude. It would have taken two people to lift me and one to insert the Roho under me. And I do remember sitting too high, and feeling pushed forward (I'm 5 ft 8 in) when using the Roho in the past. If the airplane seat can really be removed, that could work, but I didn't know that was possible, or allowed.

My CNA (travelling with me) was going to empty my leg bag into a ziplock and take it to the restroom. My idea was to empty into a second leg bag (just plug them together, to avoid spillage), but she preferred ziplocks, so that she could just empty and dispose of them (she didn't want to rinse anything out, like a urinal, and have to bring it back to the seat). As a C5/6 quad there is no point in me trying to get to the airplane restroom.

Airport personnel have always lifted me on and off the aisle chair and airplane seat, doing a 2 person lift. Recently, they've started using a sling to do this on some airlines (or airports?), instead of grabbing under the shoulders and legs. I've flown alone may times. But the lift assistance was only to enter and exit the plane. I don't know about transfer assistance during flight.

I have a colostomy and normally change the bag every morning and every night. Managing diet probably would have worked for me on the Cambodia flight, but even on local flights, I've had the bag fill up, due to delay. The flight attendants kindly held a blanket up for privacy, while my CNA changed the bag. I wouldn't want to do it again. If you have a sigmoid colostomy, you could irrigate the morning before your flight. That gives me at least 24 hours before it is full (and 12-16 hours with no output at all).

You should call the airline ahead of time and make sure they know what your needs are.

"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is."--Eckhart Tolle

Airport personnel have always lifted me on and off the aisle chair and airplane seat, doing a 2 person lift. But the lift assistance was only to enter and exit the plane. I don't know about transfer assistance during flight.

Flight attendants have always been willing to help with reasonable requests. Reasonable means that you aren't requiring them to act as if they are PTs or OTs. But if it's clear to them that you have this under control and are able to instruct them to help out in a minor way, then they have always helped. An example is if the arm rest doesn't come up, the flight attendants have helped to position my knees so that they may clear the arm rest while I do the transfer. They have also crossed their arms across their chest so that I can use their arms as a bar for my transfer. I weigh 155 lbs and try to place most of my weight elsewhere so I'm not straining them with too much body weight. The point is that each situation is unique. If you've got the process under control and make only minor and reasonable requests of them, they're most likely happy to oblige. Having said that, if you write them a letter stating your needs of the flight attendants in advance, they'll probably tell you to fly with someone who will assist you. I never do that. I just tell them what I need of them then and there. Tends to work out better that way. Just a word of caution. Don't do this unless you're sure you're not imposing unreasonable requests.